The man who wrote “Piano Man” says a neurologist compared the act of playing a concert to taking a concussion, and that comparison has now taken both the stage and the steering wheel away from him.
Billy Joel, 77, said he is not allowed to drive and cannot perform at the moment, in an interview published Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, more than a year after he was diagnosed in 2025 with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a rare brain disorder.
“I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive. And I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” Joel said.
Joel said more testing will decide whether he can go back onstage. For now, his doctors have ruled it out.
The Lights, the Crowd, the Brain
His health is good, Joel said, with the disorder mostly affecting his balance. He has already lost some hearing to loud rock music.
The lighting, the sound, the stress of a concert and the energy of the crowd add up to more than his brain should handle right now, Joel said, and his doctors told him he should not be doing it. He said he wants to be cleared to do it again.
Joel suffered a fall at his performance at Mohegan Sun Casino in Montville, Conn., on Feb. 22, 2025. He postponed four months of tour dates first. Then, in May 2025, he announced the diagnosis and canceled all upcoming shows.
A statement on his Instagram page at the time said recent concerts had made the condition worse, leading to trouble with his hearing, vision and balance. The same statement said he was doing specific physical therapy on his doctor’s instructions and had been advised not to perform while he recovered.
A Small Tube and a Shunt
Surgeons implanted a shunt in Joel’s brain, a small tube that reroutes extra fluid away. NPH happens when cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull, presses on the brain and disrupts how a person thinks, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The condition was once called water on the brain, and it affects balance, memory, vision and hearing. The Hydrocephalus Association says treatment can reverse the symptoms.
Joel said on SiriusXM’s “The Billy Joel Channel” that the surgery worked. His memory improved, his balance improved a little, and he could function better, he said during that appearance. The symptoms that sent him to a neurologist, he added, were a rocking sensation, like standing on a boat.
On Bill Maher’s podcast “Club Random” in 2025, Joel said the condition was not fixed and was still being worked on, though he felt good at the time. He is continuing physical therapy and closely following his doctors’ instructions.
“You Can Only Ride One”
Joel is also parting with more than 70 bikes from his personal motorcycle collection, which go to a Gooding Christie’s auction on Nov. 20 and 21. The proceeds go to the Joel Foundation.
At 77, Joel cannot ride as much as he once did, and he said the diagnosis has made getting behind the wheel dicey, which led to his decision to hand the bikes to someone else.
“I ended up having over a hundred motorcycles, and the truth is you can only ride one at a time,” he said.
He described himself as never a collector but a rider, one who loved the anonymity of it and loved tinkering with the customizing and the modifications. “I don’t want to die like a bug on a windshield,” he said.
The Grammy winner has performed for more than five decades, and his signature songs include “Piano Man” and “Uptown Girl.”